Melt my Gentle Soul: Warriors
by Seiferre Quintesce
Summary: They've been stolen away from the man they trusted to guide them. Now, with a malevolent Master intent on his warped "Discipline" and five warriors who don't know the first thing about the Xiaolin Way, will Kimiko ever be the same again? -R&Ring is good-
1. Love Could be True

**MELT MY GENTLE SOUL**  
_Warriors  
_By: Seiferre Quintesce // 2oo9

**RATING:** T  
**PAIRING(S):** Clim (Clay/Kimiko), possibly some others  
**GENRE(S):** Romance, Action/Adventure  
**WARNING(S):** Some gore, abuse, and possibly sexual themes  
**COMMENTS?:** Yes, please. R&R to your heart's desire. I'll love you for it.

**DISCLAIMER:** 'Xiaolin Showdown' is © Christy Hui and Warner Bros. I do not own it, or the characters, and only claim any non-canon characters as my own. This piece of fiction was created for entertainment purposes only, bearing no intent for profit or gain.

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** Well, this is my not-so-triumphant return to fanfiction writing. I'm equally excited and apprehensive to see how my writing pans out against my favorite authors. This story was mostly written for 'Charity' work, since there are little to no intelligible Clim fanfics out there, and that disappointed me (Even as big of a Kimundo fan I am). Hence, here it is. **I CHALLENGE ALL CLAY/KIM NAYSAYERS** to read this piece, see how you feel about Clay and Kim together when it's not put up as some half-assed farce. If you don't enjoy the pairing, I encourage you to stick around for the action you're surely going to miss if you back out on it now.

One thing I'd like you all to note is that I'm going to need some prodding. I'm not asking you all to flood me with reviews, but those of you who enjoy the way this is going are going to need to shamelessly plug me for more, either by e-mail, IM, whatever. Otherwise, I'll never finish this story – and that'd be kind of pathetic, being as I've mapped it all out already. Anyway, onward!

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_A… D... G... D – __**A#!**_ One broad finger slipped past a thin, metal string, then drew away and tapped impatiently at the wooden neck.

_Aw, this's 'bout as hopeless as a cow winnin' a fight against a butcher knife..._

The strains of a wayward guitar string faded as a large hand stilled its movement, allowing the ambience of the Xiaolin Temple's gardens to overtake his ears once more. Normally, he'd sit out here for perhaps an hour playing non-stop (Or, until Master Fung decided that work needed to be done), but today… Today, he felt uninspired.

Clay Bailey set his guitar aside and leaned back against a Cherry Blossom tree – one of his favorite trees in the gardens, and his personal resting place of choice in the morning.

He cast a cursory glance around the grounds, out of habit. Early in the morning, not even Master Fung was around to bother the birds sifting in the grass for an early morning snack. He watched a mother bird fly up into her nest and feed her chicks with a serene smile, continuing his slow perusal. Squirrels – The bane of Omi's existence – flitted in and out of trees to greet him, picking at the nuts that he'd brought out with him in case his stomach couldn't wait for breakfast. He didn't mind. His horse did the exact same thing at home. Clay watched them as they streaked through the dewy grass, droplets of moisture shining against their fur and making them stand out against the tentative light of dawn.

He hadn't left much in Texas – his waking hours hadn't changed much.

_Real nice out this mornin'._ As he pulled the brim of his signature ten-gallon hat down over his sky blue eyes, the boy fixated once more on his guitar. Nothing, not even a scale, had been played since yesterday morning. If he was anyone else, he would have been irked. But he had all the time in the world for playing, so long as he didn't get himself knocked down by people like Jack Spicer or Chase Young. Maybe listening to the radio would help speed things along.

Bailey regarded the small device with a fond look. It was a cute little thing, given to him by Kimiko on the Chinese New Year 'so maybe he could drown out his loud-ass snoring'. A chuckle parted his lips as he depressed the 'POWER' button and set it down by his knee. Ah, Kimiko.

Sharp, that girl. She'd gotten it programmed so that he could listen to the radio all the way over to the States and then some. He kicked one boot over the other, relaxing under the tree as the familiar pitch of salesmen and commercials played. Content to wait for inspiration to strike, Clay only opened his eyes to stare at the radio when an unfamiliar – but attention-grabbing – man's voice began to sing.

"_A… d in the m… rrni…, I lay… do… n, by yo… side."_

The cowboy hurried to readjust the tuner and sighed. Sometimes his bulk happened to knock the radio around a little too much, and he'd have to fiddle with it a bit, but it was his, after all. The Xiaolin Dragon of Fire had thought of most everything – hell, it was even colored like Texan flag. Now how could he forsake such a thoughtful gift? Delighted, Clay set down the device and strummed along to the song. He could do that – was good at that. Listening had always been one of his strengths.

"…_I lay me down, I lay me down, I lay me down.  
My days, my nights, my life…"_

Sharp, canine teeth meant for tearing apart steak chewed instead on a tender lower lip as he continued to strum at a leisurely pace, no longer listening to the radio. Yes, this was what he had needed. Inspiration in the form of a song. A touching, relatable song. One that, perhaps not so strangely, reminded him of Kimiko.

As he knew it would.

Tohomiko Kimiko was far from his first crush – that, he'd gotten over and lived to see the next day. She was far from his first kiss, and, if he gave enough thought, far from his _first_, in general. The relationship that people often revered as the most magical moment of their lives had been, indeed, much less awe-inspiring for him, especially compared with his now everyday life. No, his friend and love interest was much more than a pretty face with some curly blonde hair. She could pack a punch. She could take a joke (Provided it wasn't centered about her feminine wiles). She was utterly and completely passionate. She was… So much packed into one that it sometimes gave him a headache to think about, simple cowboy as he was. He didn't mind, though. Clay rather enjoyed the way the girl made his head spin. It was a pleasant feeling that filled him from his spurs to the tip of his hat, and even after three years of seeing each other, it never seemed to fade.

He'd come to relate that all-consuming feeling to love.

Bailey had skimmed over the term 'infatuation' right off the bat. Of course, it had only started out as 'like', but he wasn't stumbling over himself trying to please her. Least ways, not yet. Nope, his head was still level – though it would escape to the clouds every now and then – and so the definition of 'infatuation' had never struck a proper chord within him, and he was pleased with that. The way he saw it, that just linked them tighter together. Too bad he hadn't worked up the nerve to tell her how he felt.

If someone had walked up to him and told him that he would fall in love with a small Japanese girl with an eye for strange fashion upon coming to the Xiaolin temple three years ago, he probably would have laughed in their face. Loudly. After all, he'd grown up thinking that he'd marry some Southern belle one day. China, two best friends and a girl with glass-colored eyes simply wouldn't have fit into the picture. But now… Now this was his life, and he had spent endless nights attempting to figure out how to complete it.

It didn't seem that hard. He'd been possessed by ancient demons, knocked out cold more times than he could count, and been involved in more life-threatening situations than most teenagers his age could handle. Still, the idea of telling Kim how he felt sent a shiver up his spine.

…Ah, but maybe he wouldn't have to _tell_ her.

His eyes slid down to regard his guitar thoughtfully. His father had always taught him that actions spoke louder than words, and last he checked, music had more components to it than good lyrics. Clay smiled to himself and strummed, not needing to dig through his memory before he replicated the song. It was clumsy and slow – definitely a work in progress – but he would figure it out. For her.

He would have continued his self-imposed guitar lesson if not for the commotion at the other end of the temple. Being so quiet, it wasn't hard to distinguish the calm, though slightly raised voice of Master Fung. Bailey's blonde eyebrows shot into his tousled hair as he packed up his instrument and radio and set them into his room before wandering to the front. Along the way, he encountered three bodies he was quite used to seeing – one in particular more than the others.

"I mean it, Fung! Those so-called 'Dragons' of yours --"

"They are quite capable of --"

"What in tarnation is goin' on 'round these parts?" Clay queried, stepping up behind Raimundo to peek around the same wall they were. He was automatically 'shush'ed by three different voices.

"Not so loud! This guy just came up here and started ragging on Master Fung for nothing. They've been arguing ever since."

"But, Kimiko, there are no rags --"

"Figure of speech, Omi."

"…Oh."

"Know what they're arguin' about?" Again he surveyed the scene before him. The man looked to be around the same age as Master Fung, though his scraggly gray hair and beard were long and seemingly unkempt. The man's dull, brown eyes shot daggers through to the other elder standing before him. If he didn't stand with such a stoop, he could perhaps have reached Clay's shoulder in height.

"Nuh uh. But if I had to guess, it'd be about us."

"Why? What'd we do?"

"Nothing. That's the problem." Raimundo folded his arms across his chest and grunted, still clad in his green smiley-face pajamas that he never could part with (Even if they only hung down to around his lower legs now he'd gotten taller). "But Master Fung isn't doing anything about it. He's just standing there and taking it."

"Omi? Do you know who he is?"

"I have only ever seen him once," the Dragon of Water replied. "when I was a child. He is, as you say, 'Just another head in the mob'."

"You mean 'Another _face_ in the _crowd_'?"

"That, too."

"Right." With a swift exchange of wry looks, the three other monks turned to look back at the argument unfolding before them. Master Fung seemed to be keeping his head rather well, especially in the face of the irate old man in front of him.

"Look here, you senile old monkey!" Clay watched his Master's eyebrows slowly climb his forehead in mild amusement. "Your 'Dragons' are destroying public property everywhere they go! Need I remind you that they were caught on _film_ not but two years ago?! Imagine what would happen if that was ever distributed! _Everyone_ would be looking for Shen Gong Wu, and it would be their fault! My job is to make sure that the Shen Gong Wu stay out of the public eye, and I'm putting my foot down. I'm tired of having to cover your students' tracks… If you can even call them students."

Said students flinched and hung their heads. Over the past three years, they honestly had tried their hardest. It seemed, though, that their efforts were in vain – had they let Master Fung down?

"They are still learning." reasoned the seasoned old monk clad in blue and white. He spread his arms in the universal symbol of oneness and acceptance. "Even you must admit, their progress is admirable. I would not expect many others to be able to stand up to the likes of Wuya, Chase Young, or even Jack Spicer so quickly."

"You tell 'em, Fung-o!" Raimundo cheered quietly from behind the barrier of the wall. The others grinned to each other in silent approval.

"Are you implying," the bearded man griped, "that my students are less competent than yours?"

"Master Heng, never." Fung's blue eyes were twinkling slightly – it almost seemed as if he was enjoying himself. "I am merely guiding you in the proper direction. If not for Jack Spicer and the others, there would be nothing for you to be concerned over. And by the way… As it is your sacred duty to remove all Shen Gong Wu from the public eye…"

"Say no more!" Heng threw his frail hands in the air, warped wooden cane missing Fung's nose by an inch. "I don't need to hear it! I came here to deliver a message, and now you have it. If I see so much as one _pebble_ out of place the next time a Shen Gong Wu appears, I'm relieving you of your responsibilities as their mentor. Those kids need to be taught properly, and since the years have made you soft, I expect I'm going to have to do it for you."

This drew an audible gasp from behind an otherwise inconspicuous wall.

Master Fung watched his old comrade and fellow monk limp away, managing to still look regal and important even with his noticeable stoop. He just barely pursed his lips in disapproval, wiping his face of most emotion before he stepped behind the wall to the left of the doorway. Sure enough, four dismayed, tired faces looked up (Or down) at him.

"Master Fung, we never -- "

"That old geezer's 'bout as pleasant as a -- "

"You cannot allow us to simply be taken -- "

The old caretaker of the Xiaolin Temple raised a hand for silence, pausing only to glance at Raimundo, who had fallen asleep standing up against a wall. He watched patiently as Clay shook him awake, studying the restless faces in front of him with a measure of compassion.

"What happened?" the Brazilian boy mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "We got some new Wu to chase?"

"Come." Master Fung inclined his head toward the gardens as a gesture to follow. "Let us walk."

His students dutifully followed him across the patches of grass and training equipment, curious but not content enough to wait for him to explain. Fung, however, took some time before he managed to explain as fully as possible.

"Master Heng and his… Warriors…" he used the term dubiously, for there was no other way to name them. "are located high up in the Eastern mountains. They are an elite group – it is an even higher honor to have been Chosen by him, than it is to have been here."

"No way." Denied Kimiko, an eyebrow cocked. "Better than being a Xiaolin Dragon?"

"Yes." He inclined his head, feeling humble as he stopped and settled his charges under a tree as a father would his children. "Their duty is, too, a sacred one. The first of their ancestors were hand-picked by Dashi himself – acolytes and disciples of his chosen to preserve the secret of the Shen Gong Wu."

Rai and Clay shared a skeptical look. "I thought that was Dojo's job. Or ours."

A wry smile curled Fung's wrinkled lip. "Dojo can only handle so much work… He goes lax if given too much of a load. Master Heng was angry, as you have undoubtedly heard, because of the carnage we seem to have left behind in our quest to find the Shen Gong Wu."

"But we can't help that!"

"Yeah. It ain't like we got the time ta pick up all'a Spicer's 'bot parts after he steals the loot." Bailey folded his arms.

"At any rate," he interjected, sensing an uproar in the ranks of four juvenile Dragons in Training. "we must take caution not to disturb any more of the natural balance of the world. One wrong move could land you all in a temple well-known by those of the Xiaolin as something akin to a penitentiary."

"We will not let you down, Master." Omi bowed low, his still small stature casting a long shadow in the new light of the day.

"Yeah. We can kick butt and be neat about it, right guys?" Kimiko tossed her hair over her shoulder and smiled confidently.

"Definitely."

"You got it, li'l lady."

"Thank you, young ones." Master Fung watched them, reminded once again why, exactly, he had chosen these fine young men and women as his students and comrades in arms. "Now, off to the kitchen with you. We must remember to prepare Dojo's special eggrolls, as it is Monday today…"

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**FOOTNOTES:** What did you guys think? I hope you enjoyed it. Once again, R&R is loved… And someone please remind me to update. 'Til next time!


	2. Someone so Independent

**MELT MY GENTLE SOUL**  
_Warriors  
_By: Seiferre Quintesce / 2oo9

**RATING:** T  
**PAIRING(S):** Clim (Clay/Kimiko), possibly some others  
**GENRE(S):** Romance, Action/Adventure  
**WARNING(S):** Some gore, abuse, and possibly sexual themes  
**COMMENTS?:** Yes, please. R&R to your heart's desire. I'll love you for it.  
**CONTESTS: **Spot the Disney reference in this chapter and the next shall be dedicated to you :3  
**DEDICATIONS: **To all you wonderful reviewers, of course.**  
DISCLAIMER:** 'Xiaolin Showdown' is © Christy Hui and Warner Bros. I do not own it, or the characters, and only claim any non-canon characters as my own. This piece of fiction was created for entertainment purposes only, bearing no intent for profit or gain.

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** Damn, I'm not allowed to personally reply to reviews anymore. That saddens me – I used to love making little notes at the top of my page. xD Ah, well. I am gratified to see that there are still a few active XS members who enjoy a good Clim fic. If you'd like a personal reply to your review (i.e., an answer to a question or something), you can always feel free to send me a message. I may just put your question up in the A/Ns if it's relevant enough.

**TODAY'S FOOTNOTES INCLUDE: **Notes on story speed, Kimiko, possible contention for "POV switches", Fic-time

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_April 1o, 2oo8  
[Approx. One week after Chapter 1]_  
_The Xiaolin Temple Training Grounds*_

"Crest of the Condor! Blade of the Nebula! Wha – HEY! Get back here!"

"Kaijin Charm! Shimo Staff! You will have to be faster than that to catch me, Raimundo. Hah!"

Almond-shaped blue eyes watched with mild interest as two of her best friends went head-to-head in an all-out sparring match. Raimundo was a fair leader, and under his direction they were all well on their way to achieving Shoku* status, but even the best needed a warm up every now and then.

Kimiko* held the small red cap to her head as the wind picked up and swirled around her petite form, managing to ruffle even her tight miniskirt. The battle against the Heylin had been won, but the war was far from over. They all bore emotional and physical scars that they would now carry for the rest of their lives, and each side has suffered considerable casualties. Four proud, venerable monks had been laid to rest at the edge of the Xiaolin gardens, and Vlad had fallen to Omi's hands. Yet, even as a proud, acclaimed warrior, he still seemed to feel guilty.

They hadn't been able to stop Chase Young, but that was to be expected. The road to success was long and hard, as people would say. The young Japanese girl chewed her lip and continued fiddling with her GamePal until a heavily accented voice distracted her enough that she looked up from her latest conquest: Goo Zombies 9.

"'Ey! Watch where yer aimin' that thing!"

"Sorry, Clay!"

Hm, Clay.

The Tohomiko heiress smiled to herself and put down the console, resting it in her lap as she glanced over at the Texan. He was whittling a small figurine at the edge of the training grounds, having just affixed his hat back over the tousled blonde hair it housed. Had she always liked that hat?

_No_, she thought. The answer was definitely 'no'. Kimiko remembered the first day they'd all met – she thought his accent was cute, but that his down-home expressions were a little tried and his cowboy hat more than a few decades out of style. She recalled finding some solace in Raimundo – a sign that, even confined within the walls of the temple, there was a kindred spirit who enjoyed the more materialistic side of life. Rai could be an arrogant ass, she knew, but she'd never denied her attraction to him before. Every girl loved a hot Brazilian boy.

Life at the temple, however, had warped some of her outlooks on life. Clay, and even Omi, whom she'd never pegged as someone she could get along with, had become her friends and she opened herself to them. It was a wonder to discover that Clay enjoyed figure-skating, and that he did have hobbies that involved technology – video games, for one – having been pleasantly surprised when she found out that he, like so many before him, had heard of her Papa.

Through the years, their conversations had evolved into things often deep, meaningful, and peppered with laughter. Kimiko enjoyed the fresh, simple perspective that Clay provided for her. He set her mind at ease and was able to dispel her worries with a simple twist of his lip - something that she would have expected, perhaps, from the smooth-talking Raimundo. Suddenly he wasn't just 'Some Cowboy', and her phone calls with Keiko had become a veritable Love Help hotline. Her nights were filled with rippling muscle and her days spent obscured by a familiar brown ten-gallon hat. She didn't mind, however – she liked it now.*

"Preoccupied, young monk?"

"Huh? Oh, Master Fung. Nah, I'm just… Well... Maybe."

He was silent, as the Dragon knew he would be. Master Fung had always been an excellent mentor - patient, understanding, and knowledgeable about the world around him. Despite the fact that she was sure he had been holed up in the temple most of his life, it didn't seem to hinder him, and he was almost like a second father. She could talk to him, couldn't she? Tohomiko was more than sure that he would keep their conversation confidential. He'd even been careful to catch her alone when she had needed to hone her focus. A good ploy, on his part – he must have known that the boys would run off and cause havoc for her. His lessons, though odd, were always beneficial.

"_Hey, Master Fung…" _ That was all it took; a few simple words exchanged between teacher and student. Yet, her pride as a Xiaolin Warrior and an independent woman would not let her break the self-imposed silence. She pursed her lips and contented herself with turning away instead. "…I'm trying to figure out how to get past this boss in Goo Zombies 9, but it's so loud over here, I can't hear myself think."

That was a good enough excuse, wasn't it? Kimiko picked up her GamePal and pressed random buttons for effect as her teacher stood by and watched, a slight curling of his lip indicating his amusement. She obviously didn't know that Raimundo and Clay had shown him the game a year or so ago, and that he had kept himself up to date with it ever since. Kimiko was tarnishing her 'til-then spotless record for least deaths among the four Dragons for nothing.

"Perhaps, young one, the, er, _boss…"_ he paused, letting the word sink in as he was still not used to using it. "does not take quite as much consideration as you are giving it."

"Huh?" The Dragon of Fire couldn't help but blink up at him at that.

"In fact," Master Fung intoned, tilting his head the barest inch toward the training grounds while looking down at her. "it is, more often than not, easier to conquer one's foes if one is not burdened by the weight of worry and suspicion."

"Um… Sure, Master Fung." The Japanese girl powered down the game, acutely uncomfortable with the way the conversation seemed to be turning. Or… Maybe he was right. Maybe he was just advising her on how to better play Goo Zombies, and she was just overreacting. She wouldn't put it past him – Fung always spoke strangely, even when addressing such mundane things as a change in the weather patterns. Her delicate lips turned themselves into a pouty frown. Despite her love of fashion, she had always liked to think of herself as better than the average teenage girl. Exaggeration and bending the simplicity of things where boys were concerned wasn't generally part of her nature, and she wasn't about to entertain the habit. Perhaps she was more desperate for advice than she'd figured.

She was only fifteen, and not in love, to be sure. It had long been established within her family that teenagers were too immature to know what love was, and Tohomiko had always honored her father's intelligence. There didn't seem to be a point in asking Master Fung his advice on what seemed to be a severe case of infatuation. Anyway, she didn't want to be tied down to anybody. Not now, at any rate.

Turning, the two of them waited and observed as Omi attacked Raimundo from behind. They were both covered in a light sheen of sweat, their shouts of exertion filling the breezy Chinese air. Kimiko flinched as the Wind Dragon threw himself into a sweeping kick, knocking the smaller man down to the ground and leaping at him with sword raised high. Omi, agile as he was, managed to roll out of the way just as the Blade of the Nebula struck the earth, sending dust and debris flying.

The little yellow monk pole-vaulted over to Raimundo, using the Shimo Staff as leverage and landing his foot squarely against the Brazilian's jaw. He grunted in pain and snapped his neck toward the left, managing still to block Omi's next attack with his blade and using the powers of the wind to blow him away.

Omi's resourcefulness, however, was not to be contended with. He lifted his arms and Kimiko smirked as she observed his forehead begin to glow. "Wudai Neptune – Water!"

"Huh? WHOA, momma!" Raimundo scrambled out of the way of the enormous column that Omi had created, made more powerful by his own Wind magics. The boy turned and was just about to call on the Blade again when Master Fung darted between the contestants, raising his arms and commanding them to stop. Kimiko, for her part, couldn't stop giggling.

"You should've seen your _face! _'WHOA, Momma!'" she imitated, receiving a whack on her head by the flat of his blade in retaliation. The girl continued to chuckle anyway.

"Aw, shut up. I could've beat him if Master Fung hadn't stopped me."

"Uh huh." The lone female Dragon stood and brushed off the back of her miniskirt, ensuring that there was no dirt stuck to her backside. "If you didn't drown first."

"A most gratifying display, my apprentices." The elderly monk approved, walking toward the four just as Clay joined them. "You grow stronger each day. Kimiko, Clay, take your places."

"Aw'right." Clay smiled at her and tipped his hat, and Kimiko stamped down on a girlish laugh that she knew she'd regret letting loose. Instead, she smirked confidently at him, flipping her raven-colored hair over her shoulder and bowing her respect to her opponent as soon as they'd reached the middle of the field. "Reckon I got better since th' las' time we trained, Kim. How 'bout you?"

"I think it'd be better if I _showed_ you." An eyebrow quirked in his direction, earning her one of his easy smiles and a shake of his head before Master Fung said, "Begin!"

Tohomiko leapt out of the way of Clay's Big Bang Meteorang and lifted the Cat's Eye Draco to her arm. All of them needed to practice with their Elemental Shen Gong Wu, although Clay seemed comfortable enough using the Longhorn Taurus. She watched him drive his fist into the ground and staggered her way to a safe zone, just barely managing to keep her legs from giving out underneath her.

"C'mon, Cowboy, keep up! Arrow Sparrow!" she screeched, sending the bird-shaped projectiles straight at his head. The girl leapt up and bounced from one of the temple's pillars, using her weight to throw herself down toward the cowboy to try and strike a blow against his singed arm. Unfortunately, Clay was a little too quick. He dodged, his body slightly stiff and covered in small burns, and chucked his enchanted boomerang at her in an attempt to knock her out of the air.

It worked.

The heiress had no time to dodge and fell into a heap, unable to land with her usual grace. He'd managed to take a good slice at her leg, and might have done more damage had she not twisted herself around at the last second. She spared a moment to assess the damage and forced herself to forget about the pain, knowing that everyone there had dealt with much worse than a scraped calf. With a growl and a set to her jaw, she directed another Shen Gong Wu into the fray. "Star Hanabi! Arrow Sparrow! FIRE!"

Using precision and accuracy only found in the most prodigious of gamers around the world, Kimiko twisted her lithe body and hurled the weapons. Bailey watched them shoot off to the side and grinned at her as Raimundo ducked for cover. "Think yer aim's a li'l off, Kimiko. Kin'na like how Gran'pappy use'ta try'n spit out his tobacco. He missed, but, he ended up hittin' somethin', usually."

She smiled at him, sweetly, and tilted her head as she bent down like a lion would to spring on its prey. "Nope."

The Texan frowned at that, glancing around. The Star Hanabi wasn't, in fact, veering off to the side. It was leading the sparrows back around in a blazing ring of fire that, he realized too late as he started and ran toward Kimiko, was enclosing him into it. Clay skidded to a halt just as the circle was completed and the flames roared high, ignited by the three birds exploding into an abrupt stop. "Aw, hell."

"Kim's got this in the bag." Rai snickered, propping himself up on the trough he had previously used to hide behind.

"What bag, Raimundo?"

"Nevermind, Omi."

"It does seem as though she has greatly improved in her skills." Master Fung said it appreciatively, not at all concerned with either monks' enthusiasm or health. They wouldn't hurt each other. Not seriously.

No, he was more concerned with the fact that his Dragons were becoming far too set in their ways for any sort of progression to take place. It seemed to the man that their progress had slowed considerably after their hard years of training, and if he had hair, he would run his fingers through it in exasperation. Fung had often reasoned that they were young; they would learn as they grew, and he supposed that he needed to exercise more patience where they were concerned. Their Wudai and Shoku powers, after all, were not going to disappear anytime soon, and training sessions like these only made them stronger. He would hold a lecture for them at sunset, he decided.

"I did not know she could even do that." Omi agreed, his little hands folded into the sleeves of his robes. He had learned, since Raimundo had been named leader, that there was, in fact, some prospect in actually observing and appreciating peoples' strengths instead of attempting to one-up them. It was a concept he was beginning to grasp very, _very_ slowly.

"Judolette Flip – Fire!"

Her kick wouldn't be as powerful as she wanted it to be, and Tohomiko understood that. Damn Clay and his aim. She'd been practicing this for weeks, though, just to be able to see it in action. There was no way she was going to let something like a cut on her leg stop her from using this new tactic to win her next sparring match. After all, her opponent was trapped and the only way out (Provided she wasn't battling Omi) was the way she was attacking from. How could she lose?

Speeding through the air, the girl only noticed what Clay was doing when her ears caught the familiar sound of an earthquake. _Crap. What's he doing…?_

"Seismic Kick – Earth!" He'd gotten good at localizing those over the years. Any slab of rock would do, really, and he was renowned for his simpler solutions to complicated problems. The boy lifted a decently-sized boulder and roundhouse kicked it into the air, smiling in satisfaction as he listened to a small scream of frustration and protest. Bailey reached for his lasso without hesitation and launched it at her, managing to rope her around the waist and pull her out of harm's way. The burning circle that she'd created licked at the soles of her shoes before she was forcefully towed into the cowboy's embrace. "Guess I win this one, hm?"

He'd brought her close, adrenaline and the roaring fire around them masking the sound of his beating heart. Kimiko pouted up at him and shot him a frosty glare, which was juxtaposed by the mischievous glint in the farmhand's blue eyes. "Jerk!"

A deep, good-natured chuckle filled her ears, and the butterflies in her stomach returned with a vengeance. _Stupid cute Southern accent_… "Sorry I ruined yer fancy gimmicks, Kimiko. All that flippin' 'n stuff was right pr'tty. Guess I jus' had some'a my Daddy's luck t'day."

"'Luck' my ass, man." Raimundo had come to clap him on the back, causing Bailey to almost drop his charge with the force. The girl, rolling her eyes, climbed away from him before he could. "That was an _awesome_ comeback, _amigo_. We thought you were fried!"

"Thanks, Rai… I think." Clay drawled, his lip twitching into some semblance of a smile. It was something to be complimented by his cocky best friend. His hands dug themselves into the pockets of his _gi _– he'd been trying to whittle a cactus rose and could only hope that it hadn't been burned or crushed into splinters - and withdrew themselves only after Master Fung offered him a bowl of ointment to treat his burns. Thanks to Kimiko's extensive use of Sparrows, he'd sustained quite a few of them.

"Sorry Clay. Guess I got a little too carried away there."

"Aw, it don't matter." Bailey wrapped his arm with pure white gauze after applying some of the temple's herbal medicines and pointed at her leg. "Way I figure it, ya'll got more'ta worry 'bout than I do."

"This? Meh, I've had worse." They nodded at each other, grateful that they, unlike Raimundo and Omi, never needed to worry about being resented and tripped up in their next match. "I don't even have to limp so much. Here, I'll help you get that one."

"Thanks." He breathed, shrugging the shoulder of his training uniform down so that she could better apply the salve. The gentle heat of her fingers somehow still relieved his seared skin, and the Texan, for a moment, caught himself wondering whether he should lean toward or away from her touch. Kimiko patted on a few bandages and secured them with medical tape. "There. Good as new."

"Uh huh." Bailey wasn't quite so convinced, but it was easy to ignore the burns. They'd had training sessions much worse than these. His massive shoulders rose and fell as he worked them, rolling the muscles so as to relieve some of the tension he'd sustained during the exercise. The girl winced beside him as three loud cracks split the newly regained serenity of the temple. Not that she couldn't empathize. The Xiaolin weren't exactly known for their comfortable lifestyle, and sleeping on straw mats wasn't really the most therapeutic thing for the back.

"Geez, Clay. Take it easy, okay?"

"Naw, ya'll ain't seen me tired 'til ya seen me at Daddy's ranch. Up before dawn an' not allowed home 'til after the cows get there. Trus' me – I ain't goin' down anytime soon. I'm as fit as…"

"…Tubbimura at the sushi bar?" She caught his eye, and blue met blue for one tenth of a second. Then they burst into a fit of chuckles and the sounds interlaced, filling the air. It was one thing for Kimiko to be annoyed at the way that he talked. Learning how to bend it so that it suited her tastes was something she'd picked up only recently, and to anyone else, she would still seem as intolerant to his Texan drawl as Rai was to doing the dishes. Clay knew her best, though – he knew she wasn't as childish as they'd all been when they first met. They were all changing.

"Now that was jus' mean, Kim."

"What was mean?" The Dragon of Fire waved a manicured hand to the side as she exchanged a secretive smile with her companion, the universal sign for 'forget about it'. "…Okay. So, did you finish Goo Zombies 9 yet? I'm almost there, so don't overwrite my… OW! Dojo?"

"D'oh!" The little green dragon rubbed his head and pressed down on the bump he had forming with a green claw. He'd been flying straight for Bailey's hat, intending to curl up into it before he spread his news, but ended up being intercepted by Raimundo's head. The tufts of brown hair did little to lessen the force and had both of them groaning with their heads in their hands.

"Geez, Dojo, look where you're going. And lay off the Kung-Pow Chicken while you're at it!"

"No time for that. There's a Shen Gong Wu on the loose! I - HEY! Are you calling me fat?"

"Uhh… No! Of course not. Which one?" The others peeked curiously over Kimiko's shoulder as she pulled the scroll of the Shen Gong Wu from her knapsack, inadvertently saving the Brazilian surfer from a tongue-lashing. "What the heck is a 'Leviathan's Flask'?"

"Ooh, it's a good one." Dojo chuckled, his voice deepening as he expanded into his massive, forty foot form. "It sucks out certain aspects or abilities from a person and lets you drink them, so that you have 'em. Sorta like a magical… Funnel… Suction… Thingymabob."

"Sounds kinda like a Sun Chi Lantern ripoff." Opined the Brazilian boy. He had one small bud from his 3PM player stuck in an ear, and was cleaning wax from the other.

"Nope. The effects are permanent. It doesn't combine your Chi, like the Lantern does. It literally takes _parts of yourself_ away from you. Dashi was in a pretty bad mood when he last used it… It's something you _definitely_ don't want the bad guys getting their hands on. Eh-heh-heh."

"Sounds like a doozy of a Wu." Clay tucked his newly-wound lasso back against his belt and settled in for the ride behind Omi, who brought up the front. They had quite a ways to go before they reached the African jungles, although the hours passed by quickly enough between their usual banter and the infrequent sightseeing that they were able to look at (Usually when Dojo had to duck to avoid an airplane).

To each of the Xiaolin Warriors, seeing the world from a bird's eye perspective never got old. Even after three years, there were so many breathtaking vistas to see. The trees, rivers, and cityscapes were always new to their eyes, and even the temple never ceased to amaze. Perhaps it was the way their lifestyles had changed - it seemed that they all shared a common affinity in that they appreciated not having to dart around the scenery trying to stay alive just to be able to take it in.

The cowboy and his companions watched as the dewy fog of China melted away to reveal an endless sea, where the sun shone brightly and the salty breeze caught their hair and tousled it. Omi entertained them by creating wild-looking creatures of the deep and beautiful mermaids that leapt high in the sky, attempting to touch the one who had created them. Once, one almost got close enough to grab Dojo's tail.

Two hours into the trip, Raimundo complained, loudly, that he'd much rather be surfing to Africa than flying to it. Dojo, much to the others' amusement, barrel-rolled and caught the boy just as he was about to splash into the depths of the Indian Ocean. No one dared make a comment after that.

"Last stop, everybody off." The dragon shrank back into his more accommodating size and crawled up Omi's leg to rest atop the bald yellow dome. His long, narrow snout lifted and he took two whiffs of the air around them, then gestured with a claw and winced in pain as his body stiffened in reaction to the magical artifact's presence. "Should be that way. Ergh… Yeah, definitely that way."

"Come on, stick together." None of them had ever been to the African jungles before, and it was almost certain that not even their dragon guide would know his way around after fifteen hundred years of being locked up in the Xiaolin temple. They followed Raimundo into the dense foliage, managing to navigate their way around gargantuan tree trunks and vines even with Dojo's vague directions. "And Omi… Don't get distracted by the flowers."

"Huh? I am not being distracted. Ooh, pretty!"

"Yeah, partner, you ain't exactly got th' best track record fer stayin' focused." Clay looked around and tipped his hat up so as to better view the tree branches hanging above them. The jungle was a big place, and finding something as small as a flask – even a golden, glowing flask – was going to be a chore. He pulled himself into a tree, climbing from branch to branch in search of their treasure.

"Ain't here, ya'll."

"Not here, either." Kimiko called from somewhere above him.

"What about you, Omi?" It seemed that Raimundo had also turned up empty-handed. He was hanging from a branch with one arm, keeping the other free in case of an emergency. "Omi?"

"Wait! Wait! I have almost… Gotten… It… Eeyergh…" His tiny body stretched to its fullest, the other three monks watched as Omi used his ungodly sense of balance to steady himself on the very tip of a tree branch. He was reaching for a small golden cylinder, bedecked with a shimmering white trim and a shadow of a monster with small emeralds for eyes. With every leaf's movement, and every shift of the breeze, the green gemstones glinted with, it seemed to the four, malicious intent. The limb Omi reached for was brittle, and bobbing up and down under the soft weight of the Shen Gong Wu. If he jumped to it, he would surely fall, and the branches below hardly looked stable enough to swing or land on, at least for a good while down. He would be impaled any which way he fell.

Clay bit his lip; he would have loved to help, but manipulating anything at this point might catch their friend off-guard. He didn't want to send Omi flying off into the middle of a potentially hostile jungle, nor did he want to see his big yellow head crushed under his own weight – or put on a pike - if he or Raimundo failed to catch him. As it was, the small boy's legs, torso and arms were almost parallel with the ground.

They stood together anxiously, the jungle's ambiance the only sound they allowed Omi to hear as each of them held their breath. Finally, _finally, _when the Dragon of Water looked as if he was about to snap himself in two from the strain, the Leviathan's Flask tipped in his favor, and Omi chased it to the ground, catching it as he landed himself on a pedestal made of ice. The sharp branches that had impeded him before now showered about his form like woodchips from a child's playful hand. Kimiko hastily produced a fire shield to cover them as the bramble crumbled to the ground.

"So c'mon already! Lemme see!"

"No! This is a most dangerous Shen Gong Wu, and we mu - "

"WIND!"

"HEY!"

Raimundo laughed and caught the falling flask in the air, touching back down to the forest floor two seconds later as his friends crowded around him. The Brazilian tossed it back and forth between his hands, testing the weight. "This thing's heavy."

"Hel-_lo_, it's made of _gold_. Of course it's going to be heavy." Kimiko's eyes rolled heavenward at her friend's apparent ignorance, narrowing as she caught sight of a tall shadow wavering in the sparse light. With her head tilted, the girl shrugged. It was probably some animal or another.

"Let's see how it works." Raimundo had that glint in his eye – the same one that made his comrades grow tense and back away as though he was poisonous. The Dragon of the Wind chuckled at them all, tossing the container casually with one hand. "Geez, guys, lighten up. I wasn't gonna test it out on you."

"Who, then?"

"Dojo. _Duh."_

"Hey!" Roared the gecko-like creature. "Absolutely NO messing with the designated method of transportation allowed!"

The monks snickered at him, and Dojo puffed smoke out of his nose as he folded his arms. Damn Xiaolin Dragons…

"All right, here it comes, Gecko-Dude!"

Dojo ducked for cover behind a large tree stump, the leaves beneath him rustling as he cowered and covered his head.

"Leviath – HEY, what gives?"

"Hahahahaha! Invisibots, attack!"

"Invisibots? Why, Spicer, you low-down sunnuva – hey, now, put me down, dag-nabbit!"

"Give it here!" Rai jumped upward and propelled himself toward the Shen Gong Wu, which was floating higher and higher out of his reach. Before he could catch it, however, two hundred pounds of Texan muscle was dropped over his head like dead weight. The two collided in the air and crumpled to the Earth in a pile of angry grunts and injured dignity. "Ai, that hurt…"

As the machines whirred above them, a boy clad in black cackled his victory to the air. Jack Spicer, Evil Boy Genius, smirked down at them and planted his hands on his hips.

"Well, well. If it isn't my favorite Xiaolin losers. Thanks." He was speaking to an Invisibot now, which had delivered the Wu to him straightaway. "Looks like I've got you guys this time. Invisible robots – Best. Idea. Ever. Haha!"

"I don't think so, Spicer. Wudai Mars – FIRE! Go, Omi!"

"Wudai Neptune – WATER!"

Fire ravaged the land as the petite Japanese girl swung herself around and lifted her arms, a blaze twisting about her outstretched limbs as though she were a snake-charmer directing her pet into a dance. Omi followed through as the flames licked at the trees and left angry burns upon the bark, sending tendrils of smoke to the sky. He, with his extreme foresight, showered them all with a fresh deluge of water. Even he was not able to quench the quickly-spreading inferno, but it was enough to achieve the desired effect: finding the Invisibots.

The keen sight that the youth possessed enabled him to see through the thick steam that now permeated the clearing, and too, he was able to see the hazy outlines that indicated that there was, in fact, something occupying that space. With a small growl, the monk leapt up and used five bots to level himself with Jack, showering his comrades with shrapnel in the process.

"Jack Spicer," he snarled, once again at the mercy of gravity's unforgiving forces as he hung on to the Leviathan's Flask in order to keep himself from falling. Spicer glanced down at the troublesome extra weight he'd somehow gained and groaned, using his free hand to smack his forehead in exasperation. "I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!"

"'Course you do, Opi. What else is new? Come on, lemme have this one." Omi squeaked as, helpless, he was shaken back and forth like a leaf under Jack Spicer's control. "You guys have all the cool Wu; I want this one!"

"Stout chance!"

"_Fat_ chance, partner." Clay mumbled, having finally managed to disentangle himself from the team leader.

"Yes, that too! The game is a race through the jungle. Whoever gets to the Flask first wins!"

"Th-th-through the jungle?" The technophile immediately cringed, and even Omi rolled his eyes at the teen's more-than-expected reaction. "But it's so _dark_…"

Four irritable young monks glared at him, and Spicer whimpered his assent even as his helipack raised him onto a branch.

"My Cannon Blaster against your… Erm… What do you have left?" Omi shot him a look, at which Jack sniffed haughtily.

"I still have the Monkey Staff, so I'll use that to kick your butt. Let's go – Xiaolin Showdown!"

The ground rumbled.

Clay, Kimiko and Raimundo yelped and scrambled over to the nearest tree as the ground shook with a vengeance, but even that trunk was expanding at an alarming rate. Omi and Jack were caught in the middle of the clearing, legs wobbling as they were suddenly thrust into the sky among the brambles, the relatively even ground now splitting itself into large, snakelike branches. The monstrous greenery overwhelmed the five, jaws left slack in the presence of nature's awesome power intensified by ancient Chinese magic. The muted jungle that they had come to explore had transformed itself into a sea of mossy greens and deep, shadowed crevices.

"_GONG YI TAMPAI!"_

Omi sped down the wood-laden paths, twisting and turning as he headed for the small glint of gold in the distance. His friends cheered him on from a platform off to the side, and Omi exalted a triumphant squeal that was immediately cut off as he slipped, suddenly spiraling down into what looked like a pit of vicious snakes.

"Gah! No!" Grabbing hold of a branch, the monk managed to hoist himself up, climbing steadily as if a spider to its web. Jack had surpassed him quickly enough, the Monkey Staff giving him an unprecedented advantage in this forest haven.

"Haha! Loser!" Cackled the boy genius, swinging above a fissure with ease and sweeping into a slouched position as a surfer would on a board. With his smaller body stature, Omi easily copied and surpassed his nemesis within a few seconds, flying through the trees and using a combination of his Tiger instincts and his years of Martial Arts training to fling himself from branch to branch. "Rrrgh, get back here!"

"Feed on my dustbunnies, Jack Spicer!" Omi laughed, vaulting over a massive bit of greenery that looked as if it could have been a tree growing in the wrong direction. He reached into the pocket of his blue and red uniform, producing the Cannon Blaster and calling it forth.

"YEAH, GO OMI!" Each of his comrades cheered, throwing their hands into the air as he zoomed forward and caught hold of the Shen Gong Wu. All at once, as if it had never happened, the jungle seemed to retreat upon itself, and suddenly they were all standing in a cluster together in the middle of nowhere.

"NO!" A voice cried out, shrill and piercing. A ghostly cloud of purple smoke zoomed toward Jack and boomed at him, "You absolute _imbecile!_ You ask me to leave you alone for this Showdown and_ what happens? _We lose one of the _most important_ Shen Gong Wu _ever_ to have been created! Idiot! GRAAAH."

"Chill, Wuya! Geez!" Spicer stuck one long, albinistic finger in his ear and cleaned out a good-sized wad of earwax, making Kimiko gag. "We'll have it by the end of the day. Jackbots, get them!"

"Jackbots? You brought more?"

"Never hurts to be prepared!"

The monks cast wry looks at each other as they each bounded toward Dojo and took to the skies. Jack had been three times more prepared to face them in combat since the end of their week-long battle, and they carried more bruises and scars to show for it. That didn't, of course, mean that his skills had improved any.

They flew for a long while with Spicer in hot pursuit, touching down into a rocky bed of mountainside that seemed untouched except for one dilapidated building on the far side. Kimiko thought it rather looked like it was going to crumble down the side of the mountain, but had little to no time to speculate as the Jackbots came roaring at them.

These, they dispatched quickly. Bits and pieces of scrapmetal littered the ground as Omi chopped through them using his Monkey Strike, seeming to think that using any of his elemental powers on someone as low as Jack Spicer would be an insult. Clay's Seismic Kick and Wudai Crater created long, claw-like fissures in the ground and smashed more bots against the wood of the structure, splintering it unevenly but effective in ridding them of their opponents. The building shook under his force, its foundation shaking terribly and making it look like it, itself, was trembling in fear.

Raimundo and Kimiko worked in tandem, with the Wind Dragon using the Blade of the Nebula to create a large – perhaps too large – whirlwind of fire, provided by Kimiko's inherent abilities. Bailey tossed the Bots in one by one as if he were preparing a bonfire, and grinned all the while.

"You were saying?" Wuya deadpanned, Jack being unable to move as the deadly twister consumed most of his monthly allowance.

"Damn it! Screw this, I need my pudding! I'll just steal the Flask-thing later."

"Jack? Where are you going? You can't just leave without the Flask, we need it! Jack! JACK!"

"Easier'n ropin' a colt in the stable." Clay habitually tipped his hat and watched as Omi put out the fire that they had created. Large scorchmarks adorned the land now, blackening the ravaged land that they had created in their encounter with Jack.

"Yeah. Sure." Dusting himself off, Rai looked around. The damage they'd caused wasn't that bad, and it wasn't as if they'd broken anything essential. Mountains were mountains after all. "Let's get outta here. Who wants to tell Master Fung we almost destroyed some old temple-thing?"

"You will, Shoku leader." A dark voice rasped behind him. The Dragon of the Wind wasn't quick enough to catch Master Heng, who knocked him down with the flat of his palm slapped to the young boy's forehead.

Five young men, all of Chinese descent, stepped silently from behind the shadows of the mountains. They moved swiftly, stealthily, as though Death itself had trained them in the ancient arts. The Monks were captured without even the chance to react, their hands bound by the powerful grip of Heng's disciples. "You have defaced sacred Xiaolin grounds, and it is high time you honor our ways by facing up to your actions."

* * *

**FOOTNOTES:** This story will move SLOWLY, folks. Those of you waiting to see what's up with the Covert Ops (xD) are gonna have to wait just a LITTLE longer. Don't worry, it'll pick up soon. Promise. :3

For those of you who find it difficult to keep track of fic-time, I'm going to start to include notes, just so you don't get yourselves lost. :3 Basing myself on Kimiko's gadgets and also partly on the way that New York City looked in 'My Homey Omi', I believe it's safe to say that the kids are around 14-17 (The oldest being Clay, the youngest Omi), and that the year is currently 2oo8. I went on a three-year basis, one year for every season, when considering their ages. It makes it less difficult when trying to decipher the timeline, since it only appears to have naturally snowed once, but there are definite time passage hints (And the fact that the kids learned as much as they did, and got as good as they did. I don't know about you, but I don't think they could have learned all of that in one or two years).

*Raimundo was appointed as leader of the team in the last episode of the series, but I don't believe that 'Shoku' refers to his leadership. They all are going to be Dragons one day, and affixing him one special title seems a little odd for the Xiaolin way, especially after the way Master Fung had leveled them to Wudai Warriors.

*Those of you who think it's very odd for me to have started out with Clay and switched off to Kimiko: A relationship's a two-way street. In a fic, especially a Romance-oriented fic, I believe it is the prerogative/obligation of the writer to present every point of view possible to his readers. So… Don't worry. You'll be reading through both of them, not just one. xD

*I know what you're thinking about Kimiko. First off… Augh she's hard to put into thoughts. xD Secondly, yeah, the Clay-smiling thing? We haven't as yet seen a boy-crazy Kimiko. Closest thing would probably have been the hearts-in-eyes moment when the Chameleon Bot was stealing the SGW, and she seemed pretty much a typical girl, then.


End file.
